Smash Force
by Elfshire
Summary: Chapter 11 is here! Can Falcon, Fox, Link, Mewtwo, Shadow, and Sonic work together to combat the Zeg'ra? (Reviews encouragement for more chapters)
1. Visions

*DISCLAIMER*  
  
Most, if not all of these characters do not belong to me.  
  
All's quiet here… the pilot thought to himself. Just like all the other times. He glanced at the radar again, and checked every monitor. I must be going crazy, he mused. That's the fifth time I told the crew to set a course, and not been able to explain why I took us to the middle of nowhere. They must be worried about me.  
  
The young pilot rested his face in his hands. It wasn't all that easy for him to command such a large ship at times, and the recent "miscalculated coordinates" had only supported everyone else's opinion that he, Fox McCloud, was better off flying an Arwing.  
  
Although he missed his old days as a fighter pilot, and would've happily stayed employed as one, everyone managed to convince him that his leadership skills were needed in captaining the Great Fox.  
  
He sighed, and opened his eyes again to the warm luminescence of the controls before him. I can't tell them the truth… That I've been hearing, well, voices in my head, trying to get me set a course to some coordinates, which always lead to nowhere. He stretched his arms, shrugged, and was about to enter a new, more useful set of coordinates when—  
  
A beep. Fox glanced at the monitors again. A small, one-man ship was visible on the fringes of the Great Fox's radar.  
  
"Should we hail the ship, sir?" a voice from the console said.  
  
"Patch us through," Fox replied.  
  
"Connection established."  
  
"This is Fox McCloud of the mercenary ship, the Great Fox. You have entered Lylatian space. Identify yourself, or you will be considered a threat."  
  
A male voice answered him. "Forgive my rudeness. I am Captain Falcon, racer and bounty hunter professional.  
  
Fox raised an eyebrow that no one was around to see. "What is your business here?"  
  
Silence.  
  
"Repeat, what is your business here?"  
  
"Well," Falcon answered, "it's hard to explain. But I assure you, it's not illegal. Or, I don't believe it is…"  
  
"If that's how you answer everyone who halts your ship, it's a wonder you still have a license to fly."  
  
"Sorry… Well, I guess you could say I was called here."  
  
"You're following a distress signal?"  
  
"No… I…"  
  
Fox decided to take a chance, seeming as how Falcon's tone of voice didn't suggest he was drunk. "You've been hearing voices that are telling you to set a course for varying coordinates?"  
  
"How could you possibly know that?"  
  
"The same thing's been happening to me…"  
  
"Weird. Maybe we should check it out. Here, I'm sending you the coordinates the voice told me, so tell me if you can make any sense of it."  
  
Fox compared these new points to the ones that he had recorded recently, and he snapped his fingers in realization. "Aha! The points all form a straight line!"  
  
"So all we need to do is follow the trail!" Falcon exclaimed.  
  
"Start setting that course Captain Falcon. I'll personally accompany you in my Arwing, and maybe we can get to the bottom of this.  
  
  
  
Elfshire: That's the first chapter of the story, so let me know what you think before I write any more of it, or tell me you need more of a plot before you make a solid opinion. There will be other characters added besides Falcon and Fox in later chapters, but don't expect the whole SSBM team, as it's kind of hard for me to write a story with 26 main characters (24, plus TWO Ice Climbers).  
  
IMPORTANT NOTE: If any of you have a criticism to give to me, that's fine. However, I would appreciate it if you would have the respect to give it without unnecessary rudeness. 


	2. Embarking On Adventure

Woo-hoo! finally my connection got fixed and I'm back online! Here, my loyal fans, is the long-awaited (well, maybe not too long) second chapter of the Smash Force series! Read and Review!  
  
DISCLAIMER - Most of these characters, if not all, don't belong to me.  
  
Chapter 2: Departing For Adventure  
  
For the longest time, the two pilots flew in silence, each knowing the other was just as clueless toward what lied ahead as they were. Since the destination was the only thing on the minds, it made conversations fairly limited. However, Captain Falcon soon learned it was going to be a longer trip than expected, so he finally broke the silence.  
  
Flicking the switch on the comm system, he asked, "I just thought of something. You never had the right to stop my ship, did you?"  
  
Fox swallowed hard.  
  
"After all, you and your crew only pilot a ship for hire, not a vessel of the Lylatian army..."  
  
"Well, we have close connections with the Lylatian government--"  
  
"So? They didn't make you a part of the army!"  
  
"Look, I'm sorry, alright? Besides, if I hadn't halted you in the first place, we never would've been able to...find that thing?"  
  
Falcon's eyes widened in astonishment as a huge, multifaceted purple crystal came into view.  
  
"Quick, fire the tow cables! Maybe our ships can stop this thing from moving!"  
  
Both ships latched onto the crystal, and managed to stop the space debris with relative ease.  
  
"You think it's worth anything?" Falcon asked eagerly, the bounty hunter inside of him trying to estimate the weight of the object.  
  
"Only one way to know. Let's get some pressure suits and check it out."  
  
"Right." Shutting off his ship, Falcon unbuckled his safety belt and headed for the airlock of his ship. He donned a somewhat uncomfortable pressure suit, double-checked it for leaks, then opened the hatch and jetted out into the endless vacuum of space.  
  
"Hmm. It's like no substance I've ever seen," said Fox, apparently running tests on it with the suit's wrist computer. "Odd, it seems to be organic."  
  
"Holy crap! This thing's alive!?"  
  
"No, idiot! It's just that a large percentage of what's in it can originate from living things, like a spider web."  
  
"Well, if it's not alive, how did it 'call' us here?"  
  
"Damned if I know."  
  
The duo explored their find in renewed silence. They searched all over the large, mysterious asteroid for anything suspicious, but still found nothing to answer the questions burning in their minds. It would have been like finding a vault of treasure that wouldn't open, or a tome of knowledge they couldn't read. Fox had nearly given up when Falcon stopped looking on the rock and started looking in it.  
  
Blinking in disbelief, he called out to Fox on the comm. "Look! I can see my reflection in this thing, but it's not a reflected image! It's true-to- life!"  
  
"Eerie," Fox quipped. "Hey, what's this...?" Some strange form appeared to be trapped inside of the crystal. Fox shined a light on it, to reveal a row of gleaming teeth. "An alien species--"  
  
Without warning, the alien burst out from the crystal and latched on to the back of Fox's helmet, who weakly clutched at the limbs around his throat.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAA!"  
  
"What in hell- I'm coming!" Falcon boldly called, just as three more beasts emerged violently from the crystal to cut him off. "What are these things?!"  
  
"I don't know, but this one's trying to crush my helmet!"  
  
"I'd like to say I'm on my way, but I'm not!" Falcon replied, barely managing to fend the creatures off with kicks and punches.  
  
Realizing he was on his own, Fox thought furiously, and a desperate plan finally came to him. "Well, it's do or die!!" he yelled as he activated his suit's jetpack and flew in a wide arc. He acted with every bit of maneuverability he could, but the creature only increased its grip, slightly cracking Fox's visor in the process. Fox sweated a bit, but showed no despair at his failure to shake off his foe on the high-speed turns. Instead, he boosted the jetpack to maximum velocity and slammed the beast into the crystal, killing it on impact.  
  
Falcon drove his fist into a being's skull, then used its unconscious form to batter the others senseless. When one tried to rip open his suit he pulled it off and thrust it back into one of the holes left in the rock, making it stuck. He was using every move he knew, but knew he was hopelessly outnumbered, but he was doing pretty well anyway, all things considered. Fox appeared by his side, helping in their desperate battle, his fighting style perfectly complimenting Falcon's. While Fox could handle many opponents simultaneously (thanks to having five limbs), he lacked the raw strength needed to dispatch any of the numerous foes. Falcon could finish off one or two, but couldn't concentrate on too many at once.  
  
Some of the beasts were knocked out. Others were frightened off. A great number of them ceased to exist, and yet their numbers never seemed to grow smaller, as so many were still emerging from the mysterious asteroid.  
  
"Fall back!" bellowed Fox. "Get to the ships! NOW!"  
  
Both pilots fled in unison toward the safety of their vessels, gaining a head start over the momentarily confused vermin.  
  
"Now what?" asked a frantic Falcon. "Lasers don't last forever, you know!"  
  
"I've got one plasma bomb with me, it's our only chance!" The Lylatian replied as he took careful aim and fired. The missile streaked straight toward the crystal, hitting it head on and lighting the ebony of space with a brilliant display of pyrotechnic fury.  
  
"Aww, is that all we had to do?" taunted Falcon. "Hah! That was nothing! Show me your moves, suckers!" 'Hmm... I like the sound of that,' Falcon thought to himself.  
  
"Crap! They're not all gone yet, Falcon! Fire!"  
  
Both ships gave the last bit of resistance they could, but they were quickly overtaken. All the weapons were ripped off the vessels, and then the beasts started to work on breaking the plasteel windows.  
  
"Nice while it lasted, pal," Falcon muttered over the comm.  
  
Fox slumped in defeat. How could this happen? What did the creatures want? Why were so many of them forcibly put into stasis within the asteroid? Were they guarding something?  
  
"There's got to be something I can do," said Fox. "Something must be able to stop them. Wait, what's happening?"  
  
At that moment, all the shards of the mysterious asteroid sent spinning into space halted, as if time had been frozen (but the beasts hammered on). Slowly they turned, and shot off toward the ships, impaling every last one of the vile creatures still living.  
  
"How the hell did that happen!?" Falcon blurted out.  
  
'I did it,' said a voice. 'And I thank you for freeing me, although it does little good for now. Please, help me in my quest, or all of us are doomed.'  
  
"Who are you?" asked Falcon.  
  
'I am Mewtwo.' 


	3. Revelations

1 Chapter 3: Revelations  
  
"...Never heard of you." concluded Falcon.  
  
--Of course not. You've never been to Earth.--  
  
"Is that a planet nearby?" asked a bewildered Fox.  
  
--It's not even in this galaxy.--  
  
"Then why are you here? Why have you been calling us?"  
  
--I came here from Earth in an attempt to stop the spreading of those creatures you just saw. [insert flashback sequence here] They are called the Zeg'ra, and they are a parasite to the very universe itself! They were too strong for me to handle, but I shielded myself before they could destroy me, blocking out all attacks. They simply built that prison around me, then shot me into space, guards and all. I have spent the entire duration of my imprisonment thinking of a way to overcome them... Finally, I have found it. There are three more heroes who must join us if we are to have any chance against them at all!--  
  
"Wait, I'm no hero," Falcon interrupted. "I'm just a bounty hunter with a part-time racing career. I've never saved one single person, let alone a galaxy!"  
  
--You'll have help,-- Mewtwo replied. --There is more to be explained to you, but not enough time to explain it. We must leave here, now! Follow me, and all will be revealed in time.-- With that, he turned away and extended his hand. Closing his eyes, he remained silent for a while. Then, the very light of the stars seemed to flicker and fade in comparison to the great rift Mewtwo had opened in the void. It was blindingly bright and seemed to stretch itself out, consuming them...  
  
Everything went white for a while, but it gradually gave way to space's familiar darkness. Fox gazed down on the blue-and-green planet which now loomed below, and he was reminded of his distant Corneria. "Is this Earth?" he asked.  
  
--No,-- spoke Mewtwo, smiling. --But it's close...--  
  
  
  
**IMPORTANT**  
  
Writers need encouragement!  
  
If you want the next chapter in the series, leave me a review, or else I'll think no one's reading this. Oh, and yes, the next chapter will be longer. Thanks for your support!  
  
  
  
-Elfshire 


	4. In Brightest Day...

Chapter 4:  
  
In Brightest Day...  
  
----------------------------------------------  
  
The first rays of the sun gently woke the sleeping figure. Hastening to start the day, he quickly rose, dressed, and left, apparently leaving his nightcap on...  
  
-It's so perfect,- he thought. -The sun is shining, the birds are singing, smoke is billowing from the forest...-  
  
His eyes suddenly widened at the realization of what he had just seen. Spinning around, he dashed back into the house, only to emerge again moments later and jump onto a horse running by.  
  
"Of all the places to catch fire!" the exasperated man shouted. "Those kids are always careful with torches, so someone must have done it on purpose!"  
  
----------------------------------------------  
  
Meanwhile, another figure woke, but it was due to a small fire starting on his sleeve. Fox hastily put himself out with a glove-covered hand, but immediately regretted his jerking, panicked movements as pain shot through his limbs.  
  
-Guess I shouldn't have been so eager to land... could've killed us all... I hope the others are alive.- Fox quickly examined his state of health. -No broken bones at least, just bruises.- He heaved a sigh of relief.  
  
"What in Nayru's name?!"  
  
"Who's there?" Fox called to the unseen voice. "What's going on?"  
  
"Nothing to worry about. It was dead before I got here."  
  
"What was?"  
  
"This strange, winged, metal beast."  
  
"WHAT!?" yelled Fox, jolting upright. Despite his pain, he managed to stumble out from behind the bushes he landed in, only to discover...  
  
"AAH! MY ARWING!" he wailed.  
  
"AAH! A Wolfos!" the man [who you know as Link] yelled back, drawing his sword.  
  
"AAH! Man in tights!" Fox shouted, shielding his eyes.  
  
"AAH! I'm blind!"  
  
"Falcon is that you?" answered Fox, deciding that the sword-wielding blonde guy wasn't going to fight. "Thank goodness you're alive!"  
  
"What kind of life is it if I can't see!?" Falcon moaned.  
  
Fox shoved a large piece of debris off the source of the voice.  
  
"I can see... I CAN SEE!"  
  
"Shut up," quipped Fox, kicking Falcon in the ribs. "Help me find Mewtwo."  
  
"Ow... I'm going, I'm going," he muttered.  
  
Link shot a few arrows at the small fire patches, freezing them into solid ice.  
  
"How'd you do that?" asked Fox.  
  
"I'll ask the questions for now. Who are you and why were you trying to set the Kokiri Forest on fire?"  
  
"Fair enough. I am Fox McCloud, and this is Captain Falcon. I've come from the Lylat system with--"  
  
"Lylat system?" repeated Link, raising an eyebrow. "Where's that?"  
  
Fox suddenly took notice of the simple metal sword the elf carried, in stark contrast to the gun hanging on his own belt, which he started carrying with him ever since after the first fight with the Zeg'ra. He heaved a sigh. "We come from a different world. We didn't mean to start a fire, but our, uh, method of transportation failed."  
  
"*Your* method of transportation," Falcon added, even though he was now standing a good distance away from the conversation.  
  
"Why are you here?" Link inquired.  
  
"Well, I'm sure if Mewtwo were here, *he'd* be able to--"  
  
"Found him!" announced Falcon. "Sheesh, Fox. Your ship's wing nearly sliced his head open!"  
  
Link examined the large gash. "What race is he?" he asked.  
  
"You're asking us?!" cried the other two in unison.  
  
"Put him on the horse," Link ordered. "We'll take him to be healed."  
  
Falcon complied, laying the poke'mon's still form on the horse's back before following the green-clad figure. He led them through several tunnels made from hollowed-out trees, which connected small clearings in the forest. The group walked through many of these clearings, each looking almost identical to the last, before finding a stone entranceway, which they went into. It led to a large cave, which seemed to be filled with walkways, doors, strairs, and the like, but no people could be seen. Falcon did notice a few boulders that seemed to be snoring however.  
  
"Interesting..." Fox noted, breaking the silence while staring at his wrist computer's holographic display. "We're still in the Lylat system."  
  
"That can't be," argued Falcon. "No one's ever put this planet on any navchart, and the whole system's been thoroughly explored!"  
  
"Yes, but the planet is enclosed in a field of ion clouds, so nothing could detect it. I can still detect things outside the field though. Odd... Anyway, There's an entire self-sufficient solar system in here, with one yellow star and two planets--"  
  
"Termina?" Link asked himself.  
  
"Say what?" Falcon inquired.  
  
"Nothing. Never mind."  
  
Fox started his scientific rambling again. "Like I said, there's two planets in here, but something - the ion clouds perhaps - is making them rotate abnormally fast."  
  
"...Which would explain the two sunsets in the past thirty minutes." Falcon concluded, squinting up at the noticeably-moving sun. While he said this, he took Mewtwo onto his shoulder and followed their guide up a steep mountain slope, which he knew the horse couldn't travel.  
  
"Those get really annoying sometimes," muttered Link, hauling Mewtwo up a sheer cliff with a strange, chain-like device.  
  
Finally, the group reached the mountain's summit, entering the door on the left. The tunnel seemed odd to Fox, as he noticed it was well-made on the inside, but the entrance appeared to have been blown in by dynamite.  
  
Soon, they entered a breathtakingly beautiful fountain room, where water seemed to form the walls themselves, and the ceiling was nowhere in sight. Pearl-white tiling covered the floor, and a flowing pool of crystal-clear water lay before them.  
  
Link stood upon a golden symbol by the fountain, and played a short tune on a small, flute-like instrument.  
  
Suddenly, a tall woman with long, red hair, and dressed in leafy vines seemed to leap out of the inch-deep water. Her beauty was indescribable, but the laugh of joy she gave made you want to cover your ears in agony.  
  
"Greetings, Link!" she welcomed. "I shall heal your wounds!"  
  
"No, no, its him who needs it," replied Link, gesturing towards the fallen psychic.  
  
"Very well," she replied, casting Mewtwo in a ray of light that sealed the gash on his forehead and eased his unconscious look of pain. "When you are weary of battle, come see me again." With that, she vanished back into the fountain with a laugh, leaving them only a memory and ears that would be ringing for another hour.  
  
Falcon whistled. "Wow. She was *hot.* OW!!"  
  
Fox slapped the back of the Captain's helmet so hard it got stuck over his eyes. He sighed at his behavior, then hurried to catch up with Link. "Who are you, anyway?" he asked.  
  
"I am Link, and this is my home, Hyrule." he answered with a sweeping gesture of his hand that revealed the wide valley spread out before them, bordered by a forest, a lake, a river, a desert, and even a magnificent castle. It was a wondrous view to Fox, but Link seemed nowhere near as impressed by it, as if he had looked down upon it a hundred times before.  
  
"Looks like the castle's our next stop," Falcon guessed.  
  
"Thank you, Captain Obvious," quipped Fox, as he made haste to begin their descent from the mountain.  
  
"I'll go with you," said Link.  
  
-------------------------------  
  
As they walked through the castle's grand halls, Falcon leaned over and whispered in Fox's ear. "Is it just me, or did those soldiers seem overly eager to open the doors to Link here?"  
  
"He must be someone important."  
  
"Doesn't look like royalty to me. He's wearing a nightcap, not a crown."  
  
"Point taken. Still you never know what customs they may have here. Let's just see where this goes."  
  
At length, the three were taken into a dining hall, while the royal physicians attended to Mewtwo. A blonde woman in a rose-pink dress appeared before them and curtseyed. "Welcome to Hyrule," she said. "I am Princess Zelda of the Royal Family. Please, join us for dinner while we talk of your purpose here."  
  
Falcon licked his lips. -Yes! Real food! It's been so long since I've eaten anything but packaged rations...-  
  
While they took their seats, Fox lightly elbowed Falcon to get his attention. "Don't even think about talking unless they ask you something," he muttered. "I've had more experience with higher social classes than you, so just let me do the negotiating."  
  
"Yeah, I got it," sighed Falcon.  
  
The four of them passed the food around and ate while Fox explained everything he knew of their situation. Zelda and Link listened with concerned faces, but did not interrupt him.  
  
"...So I guess why Mewtwo brought us here is because one of the 'warriors' lives here..."  
  
--And he's been rather modest of his social status so far,-- interrupted Mewtwo, materializing behind Link, much to his surprise.  
  
"Good to see you up again, Mewtwo," complimented Fox.  
  
Mewtwo nodded with a smirk.  
  
" 'Social status,' eh? I knew he was the prince!" stated Falcon.  
  
An awkward moment ensued as both Link and Zelda blushed.  
  
"No... I'm the hero," corrected Link.  
  
Fox politely wiped his mouth with a napkin, folded it, stood, and proceeded to drag Falcon into another room. "You idiot! This is why I told you not to talk in advance!"  
  
"Shut up! We're lucky either one of us can still talk, thanks to your little stunt during landing!"  
  
"Like its my fault the Arwing got damaged?"  
  
"Haven't you ever heard of something called a maintenance check?"  
  
"That does it! I've got your maintenance check right here!" Fox challenged, rolling up a sleeve.  
  
------------------------  
  
--Will you help us, then?-- asked Mewtwo.  
  
"Of course!" the Hero of Time replied. "I can't just sit around and wait for those things to come here! Count me in."  
  
--Excellent. We will depart as soon as these two finish their dispute,-- said Mewtwo, gesturing at the fight in the hall.  
  
"Show me your moves, wimp!"  
  
"Taunt this, windbag!"  
  
Link dashed into the room and pried the two apart. "Enough! There's more at stake now than bruised egos! Can't you understand that?"  
  
Mewtwo glided over to a window and concentrated on opening a portal, as he did before.  
  
"Wait, Link," said Zelda. "Don't you need the Ocarina of Time?"  
  
"No, Zelda. If the Zeg'ra reach Hyrule while I'm not around, it'll take everything available to stop them. I know that leaving here will make Hyrule vulnerable, but it's even more foolish to sit here and wait for them while they gain strength elsewhere. I promise I will return, but I cannot promise to prevent an attack. If that happens, it's all up to you."  
  
Zelda nodded dutifully as Link followed Fox, Mewtwo, and Falcon, still unsure of his decision. He paused at the window and looked back, as if he had remembered something else to say, but decided against it, and entered the vortex into adventure. 


	5. ... Or Darkest Night...

Elfshire: My apologies to all my still-existing fans for the delay of chapter 5. The stalling of the update was due to many factors, such as school, friends, fixation on video games, thinking of what to write, actually writing it, typing the story, revising while typing, general laziness, and suicidal tendencies. Whoops! Scratch that last one (there's a scar on my wrist, but I think it's from the cat).  
  
Anyways, I spent a lot of time on this chapter, and I hope you like it. Exams are next week, so don't expect anything from me then, but I will attempt to write more over the summer.  
  
Note: I am not the kind of author that writes four to six stories at once. I write one, and only start another when I finish.  
  
Chapter 5: ...Or Darkest Night...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
...Three years... since then... since I became trapped in this hellish nightmare...  
  
Don't they care? Or do they underestimate me even more than I thought.... They should have found me by now!  
  
Who am I kidding? Everything's fine where they are, so why would they bother looking here? Of course they haven't tried...  
  
I suppose it's not their fault. It was, after all, my decision. My sacrifice. My life on the line. It was worth this...  
  
Still, I fear I'll never see the world again. Fear? No. I do not fear anything.  
  
My day *will* come.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Where are we?" asked Link.  
  
--Earth.--  
  
"Not a very homely place," noted Falcon, observing the scene.  
  
--What? No!-- shouted Mewtwo, looking on in horror at the uprooted trees, smashed windows, ruined buildings, devastated cars, and ravaged streets. He lowered his head.  
  
--We're too late. It's begun.--  
  
The sound of a battle of some sort droned in the distance.  
  
"The Zeg'ra are here!?" exclaimed Fox.  
  
"Well, what're we waiting for? Let's kick their butts!" rallied Falcon.  
  
--You don't understand,-- Mewtwo replied in a grim tone. --No planet has successfully fought them off yet.--  
  
"We can't just give in before we even start!" argued Link. "We have to find the fifth warrior!"  
  
--The last is also here.--  
  
"That only makes the fight that much more important."  
  
"He's right," Fox agreed. "If we can't fight the Zeg'ra with four of us, what makes you think that two more will make a difference?"  
  
"Yeah," added Falcon, "so what if no planet has been able to fight off a Zeg'ra invasion? No planet has had four heroes."  
  
Mewtwo looked back at them, hesitating. Fox extended his fist, and Falcon placed his hand on it. Link, following suit, did the same.  
  
Clenching his fist with new determination, Mewtwo joined the group handshake.  
  
--And so begins our great war.--  
  
The four of them ran in a line, making a dash for the battle off in the distance. Fox charged his gun, Link drew his sword, and Falcon started wishing he had a weapon. As they rounded a corner, their enemies were revealed to them. Thirty or more Zeg'ra clustered in the street, each the size of a horse, in stark contrast to the dog-sized beings Fox and Falcon had faced earlier. They resembled praying mantises, walking on four talons, and wielding great scythe-like blades. All of them seemed to be in a frenzy over something, tearing at the back wall of the alley they gathered in.  
  
--Strike them hard and fast,-- advised Mewtwo. --Don't give the swarm a chance to organize itself!--  
  
Link complied hurling a small bomb into the herd before hacking and slashing into the fray. Falcon bolted for the nearest Zeg'ra, then jump- kicked it twice in mid-air, sending it bowling into the rest. Mewtwo charged his hands with purplish energy, masterfully harnessing it to pummel his enemies with a flurry of fists while Fox sent lasers stabbing through the air.  
  
The Zeg'ra reacted quickly to the ambush, striking with their claws, and forcing Fox to find cover. Link's shield protected him from the deadly blows, but his concentration on his defense prevented him from doing much damage. Mewtwo sent out a small psychic force along the ground, tripping his foes and giving him the chance to lift one high into the air and slam it down again. A sickening snap was heard, emanating from the creature's neck.  
  
Fox fired his trusty blaster repeatedly over his shoulder while he ran a safe distance away from his foes. "Close combat's too dangerous," he said to himself. "They're too much stronger than those last guys... I can't afford to let them come close!" Without warning, two more of the mantis- beings appeared in front, trapping him between a building and a wall of foes. He dove through a window, throwing furniture behind him to slow their pursuit. "Wish I'd brought a better gun. Where am I? A hardware store? Hmm..." An idea came to Fox. One that might just be crazy enough to work. One that would eradicate the Zeg'ra in one hit. One that involved a leaf blower, a spark plug, and a bunch of propane.  
  
Falcon obtained a long pipe from the wrecks around him and tried using it as a club, but it broke uselessly after a claw countered it. He quickly followed with a punch to the jaw, but only ended up hurting a fist. The attempts he made to hurt the Zeg'ra seemed to amuse it, and it reared back and struck him with the dull side of its claw, sending the Captain twenty feet. The beast leapt forward again, pummeling its prey mercilessly. Falcon knew he was helpless, as the monster didn't even bother to dull its claws on him.  
  
-Can't go out now,- he thought. -Not like this! Mewtwo saw something in me, and its about time I found out what!-  
  
"Get off!" Falcon yelled kicking the Zeg'ra with both feet. It looked confused, but still not hurt in any way. "Doesn't anything kill you?!" he asked, not expecting an answer. The creature charged forward again, but Falcon was ready. A rage seemed to overtake him as he gritted his teeth in determination, his blood boiling in his veins. A burning anger blurred his vision slightly as he watched his opponent come closer. At just the right moment, he pulled his fist back and let out a battle cry...  
  
"FALCON... PUNCH!!"  
  
Fox stopped his work as a wave of ashes plastered against the window, blotting out the light. He hoped it was a good sign, and strapped his new invention onto his back. He ran up a flight of stairs to get a better view, and leaped out of the second story window, landing gracefully near Mewtwo.  
  
"Are we winning, oh fearless leader?" he asked sarcastically.  
  
--Our progress is slow, but so far we manage well enough. However, if you three could occupy them for a moment...--  
  
"No problem! Everyone, attack together!"  
  
Link was now completely surrounded, and unable to strike any blows, as both sword and shield were protecting him now. He had never faced so many skilled opponents at once before, and struggled to keep the pace. He had, however, started to force himself to calm down, and in his own personally developed technique, had begun to channel his will into the Master Sword, and unleashed it on Fox's signal.  
  
Falcon gaped at the scorched spot on the street where a Zeg'ra had just been burnt like a newspaper at his own hands. He marveled at his arm, watching the flames dance about it, and wondered how it did not burn him. He heard Fox's call, and quickly decided he knew how to control his newfound powers.  
  
Mewtwo, due to Fox's absence and Falcon's ineptitude, found it impossible to properly focus his mind. But now that Fox was back, he might get the others to buy him enough time to concentrate...  
  
"FALCON KICK!"  
  
Captain Falcon slid through the enemy's ranks, flames enveloping nearly his entire body. Countless Zeg'ra caught fire, sending the rest of the swarm into a panic.  
  
"FIRE!"  
  
Fox compounded the blaze with his new gadget, the FoxFire,™ which propelled himself forward and crisping his enemies simultaneously. He was glad he brought the hand-held fire extinguisher from his ship with him, as the fine layer of spray he covered himself in protected him from a similar fate.  
  
"WHIRLING BLADE!"  
  
Link held the Master Sword above his head, the blade glowing white with energy. He swung it down in a horizontal strike, but didn't halt his motion. Instead, he began to spin around in a never-ending slash, cutting his foes to ribbons.  
  
The Zeg'ra now had significantly declined in number, and were in a state of utter confusion, having never encountered such devastating resistance from anything save an army. Mewtwo was finally able to concentrate, and did so now. He drew his hands together, forcing his mental energy into a tangible form, namely, an orb of pure energy, resembling the heart of a black hole itself.  
  
--SHADOW BALL!--  
  
He cried, unleashing the attack, and watching his enemies dissipate, and blow away like smoke on the wind.  
  
"So much for them," said Falcon. "Heh. I think I'm starting to like this hero business."  
  
"This was only the first fight," Link warned. "Don't get too cocky."  
  
"What's behind this wall they were so desperate to tear down before we got here?" asked Fox.  
  
--I can sense someone... a thinking being back there,-- Mewtwo stated, moving the the rocks piled against the entrance without lifting a finger. He floated inside and looked around, seeing a hammer point at him from the shadows.  
  
"Stay back! I'm warning you!" said a desperate-sounding female voice.  
  
Mewtwo assessed the situation in his mind. -A hammer? Of all the ridiculous weapons... It must be one of those Ice Climbers I've heard about before I left Earth... She seems... afraid of me...- Mewtwo backed out of the entrance he had just made.  
  
"Well?" Falcon inquired.  
  
--You get her out, Falcon. After all, I'm too much of a monster to be anyone's savior.--  
  
"Huh?" asked a bewildered Captain as Mewtwo took to the air, abandoning them. "What's eating him?"  
  
"Whatever it is," replied Fox, "I doubt we can help him with it. Now go rescue your 'damsel in distress,' Mr. Hero."  
  
"Right away, Lord of the Sarcasm," he replied, while thinking, -Since I'm the only halfway normal-looking person here...-  
  
Falcon entered the blackness, cautiously stepping over debris in the dim light. He made his way toward a corner, where he thought he could hear movement. "Those monsters are gone, now," he said to the hammer that appeared when he got close enough. "I'm not here to hurt you. I just want to help."  
  
The figure put down her hammer hand allowed Falcon to carry her outside.  
  
"Is she alright, Falcon?" Link called.  
  
"Let me get into the light, wouldja?" said Falcon, stepping out of the ruinous building, and setting the girl on the sidewalk. She was wearing a bright red dress, with a matching headband and white gloves. She had short, pink hair... and a pink face... and pink arms... and, well, she was pink all over except for around her mouth. She seemed to have calmed down a lot from her terrified state moments ago.  
  
"What's your name?" Link asked her.  
  
"Amy. Who are you?"  
  
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\  
  
Elfshire:  
  
Fooled you, didn't I?  
  
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\  
  
"Fox McCloud."  
  
"Link."  
  
"Captain Falcon. And our friend you saw a minute ago is named Mewtwo."  
  
"Sorry," she apologized. "I thought he was another one of those... things..." An odd sort of mood swing caused the look on her face and her tone of voice to change completely. She giggled. "But thanks for saving me!" she said, hugging Fox.  
  
"Er... You're welcome."  
  
-She's creepy,- Falcon thought to himself.  
  
--Look above you,-- said an all-too-familiar mental voice. --The main force is building a nest to the east. Follow me!--  
  
"You heard him guys, let's move it!" Fox said, dashing off with Falcon quickly passing him.  
  
"Wait! Blast..." cursed Link, running notably slower than a normal human. "Maybe I shouldn't have brought so much gear."  
  
"I know the feeling," said Amy, catching up to him. "My friends always leave me behind, too."  
  
"Is that why we found you in that situation?"  
  
"...Sorta."  
  
"You might as well tell me about it. We might have a while before we get there, and I can already tell that you don't want to stay behind."  
  
"Alright. Things were better a few years ago, when my friends were so busy..."  
  
"Busy doing what?"  
  
"I don't suppose you'd believe me if I told you they were saving the world?"  
  
Link smirked. "I think I could keep an open mind."  
  
"If you say so. Anyways, when they were saving the world their path was kind of restricted, you know? They always had to follow the danger. So, I just followed them. But now that the world is at peace again, they can go anywhere they want, and they all avoid me, like an unwelcome visitor."  
  
"They don't sound like very good friends to me."  
  
"Whenever I got in trouble while I was with them, he never hesitated to save me. But now it's like I don't exist... Is he just being shy? Or do I really matter that little to him..."  
  
"Aha, a 'him.' This goes beyond friendship, doesn't it?"  
  
Amy blushed. "Yeah... But I wish he'd just tell me his feelings already! He should know I like him, but I don't know if he likes me. If I had a clue, I would have asked him. But now I feel like I'm wasting my life waiting for him..."  
  
Link suddenly had a flash of his far-off Hyrule appear in his mind. It occurred to him how much he had done for Zelda, and how she had given him that look before he left that seemed to show concern for more than a hero... If only he had said something before! How he dreamt of her in his sleep, and how his heart ached for her by day, when he knew that she would never love him, as she was a princess, and he was nothing. A hero, maybe. But what difference did it make if he was a hero or a peasant? Neither was royalty, and neither would bring him within view of her. Or did she feel the same as he did? She had stood by him when Ganondorf choked the land, and had personally seen him off on his journey to Termina, when it was none of her concern, really. What if she had been waiting for him to say something just like Amy?  
  
And now she had to wait even longer. -And what if I never make it back?- Link asked himself. He knew how it felt to be away from her, not knowing if he'd see her again, and yet tortured by the thought that she didn't feel the same way.  
  
What if she did?  
  
"Are you alright?" Amy asked, noticing the moistness gathering in Link's eyes.  
  
"It's nothing," he replied, pulling himself together. "Your friend's feelings are something he must discover on his own, I'm afraid. We all make our own choices."  
  
"I guess you're right..."  
  
"Sorry to change the subject like this, but this whole story doesn't explain why so many of the Zeg'ra were single-mindedly chasing you."  
  
"Is that what they're called? Zeg'ra?"  
  
"It's what I've been told."  
  
"It was probably this," she said, pulling out a glistening diamond the size of her fist. "It's a Chaos Emerald. I won it at a Chao show! They're really powerful, but the energy's difficult to harness. There's only seven in the world."  
  
"Why, pray tell, would something so powerful be a prize at a pet show?!"  
  
"There's no need for them anymore. My friends were able to use them to stop the biggest of threats, but now the world is at peace-"  
  
"And they're considered nothing but shiny rocks now?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
Link thought to himself. -It's hard to imagine how such weapons can be carried around so casually... But I guess even I would look forward to the day where Hyrule's greatest need for the Master Sword would be to harvest grain.-  
  
---------------------------------------------  
  
-It's been three years since the ARK incident...- the blue hedghog reflected. -I'm starting to think my hero days are over. All my life has been nothing but one adventure after another, with only enough time in between to prepare for the next. But nothing's come up. It's as if Eggman just gave up.  
  
-Maybe It's time I stopped running. Maybe I should settle down, get a job, and live a normal life for once. After all, saving the world only adds up to so many dollars worth of free food and lodging.-  
  
Sonic sighed. He started to run to clear his mind. "But I can't just stop and completely switch gears in my life! I don't _want_ to live normally. I want to live for action! For speed! For--that!" And he sped off, heading for the pillars of smoke downtown.  
  
---------------------------------------------  
  
"Why are you guys here, anyway?" asked Amy.  
  
"Mewtwo rounded us up from different places to stop the Zeg'ra," replied the Hero of Time. "He says that it will take six heroes to give us a chance of pulling it off, and Earth is the location of the final two."  
  
"One of them must be Sonic!" she replied.  
  
"Who? Wait, is this the same person we were discussing earli--"  
  
Link was cut off as a blue streak flashed past, sweeping both off their feet.  
  
"He's here!"  
  
-That was a living thing?- Link thought. -I'm starting to think that bringing the Bunny Hood with me would've been worth the embarrassment!-  
  
The two rounded the final corner, and could scarcely believe their eyes...  
  
An unholy mass of flesh was laid before them. Hundreds upon hundreds of the blade-wielding creatures could be seen in the artificial pit, crawling over each other, tearing buildings down, and digging through the road. A mound of solid flesh rose in the center of them. Hissing and gurgling, it brought forth a new Zeg'ra every few seconds, adding to the already uncountable army.  
  
And in front of it all stood a blue hedgehog, with a pink one running up behind it.  
  
"Sonic!"  
  
"Stay back, Amy! It's up to me now..."  
  
"But you have help!" she exclaimed.  
  
"It's too dangerous for you. Just get somewhere safe!"  
  
"I believe she means us!" boomed Falcon's voice, causing Sonic to turn around.  
  
--Sorry for the delay, Link. We met with some... resistance.--  
  
"No... problem," Link panted.  
  
"Who are you guys?" asked Sonic.  
  
--No time for introductions. Just consider yourself recruited.--  
  
Sonic went cockeyed. "Okay... Let's just hope this evens the odds!" And with that, he leapt into the sea of foes, curling into a ball and dealing savage blows with his quills in a bizarre bouncing attack.  
  
Link notched his bow, the arrow tip shimmering with the crimson of embers. He aimed carefully, sending it in a perfect arc down onto a cluster of enemies, who were instantly enveloped in sweeping arms of fire.  
  
Mewtwo took to the air, one hand covered in black flame. Without hesitation, he shot his devastating orb of darkness into Zeg'ra flesh again, smirking at the destruction that ensued.  
  
Falcon and Fox glanced at each other, wordlessly deciding to team up. Simultaneously, they dropped into the large pit the beasts had swarmed in, and both instantly became pyromaniacs. From the air, Mewtwo could see the two lines of flame shoot away from each other, curve, and meet again, trapping many Zeg'ra in a ring of fire that was slowly spreading to its center...  
  
The group's strike was quick and deadly, but the swarm assessed its situation even more rapidly. Suddenly, as if it were planned long beforehand, the armies surged forward, trampling the heroes and slashing them with what seemed like walls of razor-sharp claws.  
  
But they would not be so easily defeated.  
  
Wherever the Zeg'ra had piled themselves on the heroes, a great force erupted, scattering the attackers. For Falcon and Fox it was two towers of fire they rose from. For Link it was the white streak of metal blurring in a 360-degree spin. For Sonic, it was the blender-like effect of a continuous spinning in his ball form, yet without rolling.  
  
Four tentacles unexpectedly shot out from the central mass, proceeding to crush Sonic, Fox, Link, and Falcon, while Mewtwo stared malevolently, fighting a battle of minds. Mewtwo's experience gave him an early upper hand, forcing the four appendages to quiver unsteadily. But the sheer force of the larger entity soon overwhelmed him, wearing away at his will, making him come closer and closer to falling out of the sky each second.  
  
Being the smallest, Sonic was the first to cry out in tortuous pain, and his screams were too much for Amy to handle.  
  
"Stop it!" she wailed, breaking Mewtwo's link and allowing the hive-brain to crush the four even harder. "I can't take it anymore! If you want the emerald, take it, but leave Sonic alone!" Throwing the emerald, she collapsed and broke into tears.  
  
--No!-- yelled Mewtwo, catching the jewel in the nick of time. --Such power... This might be just what I need. If I can manage to harness the chaotic power, it might be enough to destroy the hive-brain!--  
  
Mewtwo levitated the emerald in front of him, so that the flat side faced him and the point faced his target. He sent a beam of his energy into the gem, letting it reflect on the inside and refocus at the point, forming a Shadow Ball darker and more powerful then he ever had before.  
  
The tentacles stirred, moving Link, Fox, Falcon, and Sonic so they would be used as a shield.  
  
--I don't think so!-- shouted the psychic, teleporting behind the hive- brain and unleashing his wrath.  
  
He was too late though, for at the last moment a psychic barrier materialized to block the orb's path...  
  
--NO!--  
  
... but the wall shattered before the might of the sheer chaos energy.  
  
"Yes!" cheered Amy.  
  
The ball streaked toward its target trailing yellow lightning. It hit its target dead on-----  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
-----and bounced off.  
  
--Impossible!--  
  
Mewtwo watched in horror as his last, desperate attack was deflected like a rubber ball and cast to the ground, but it didn't dissapate. It sat there.  
  
"FREEDOM!"  
  
In the place of the ball stood another hedgehog, similar to Sonic. But this one was jet black, with crimson streaks on his quills. He looked around, noticing the strangely docile Zeg'ra.  
  
"...for a purpose, it seems."  
  
"Shadow!" gasped his blue look-alike.  
  
"Well, well, well. Sonic. It's been a while." Shadow smirked. "I knew you'd find me eventually. Looks like you need help."  
  
Sonic looked like he was about to pass out.  
  
"You're pathetic, faker." He paused. "Did you really think I could die? You forgot..." Shadow cackled with the remnants of the emerald's energy. "I AM THE WORLD'S ULTIMATE LIFE FORM!! Perhaps you need a reminder. Or better yet, a demonstration." With what seemed like minimal effort, Shadow sent forth the energy with a flourish of his arm. "Chaos Spear!"  
  
Sonic inhaled again as the entire hive-brain began to disintegrate, and let himself fall, unable to bear the pain of consciousness any longer. 


	6. A Meeting Among Legends

Chapter 6: A Meeting Among Legends  
  
--Sonic.--  
  
--Sonic?--  
  
--Can you hear me?--  
  
  
  
Sonic, lying on his back, slowly opened his eyes, but saw only blackness. He waved a hand in front of his face, and he could see it clearly. The hedgehog got back on his feet and looked around, but could still only see blackness.  
  
--Behind you.--  
  
Sonic whipped around, seeing Mewtwo. "It's you again," said Sonic. "Who are you? Where are we?"  
  
--My name is Mewtwo. We are in your mind, so to speak.--  
  
"My mind? How?"  
  
--I am a psychic.--  
  
"Oh. Then maybe you can tell me why my mind is so blank."  
  
--You are currently in a coma.--  
  
"Hmm. I must've fallen pretty hard. Uh--"  
  
--Save your breath, Sonic... so to speak. I already know the questions you desire to ask. To answer your first, yes, I can break your comatose state with my powers.  
  
--To answer the rest, I will tell you of all that has happened thus far. The invaders you saw are known as the Zeg'ra. They are a plague to this universe, and have already destroyed many worlds. As of yet, I am unsure of their motives, but they must be stopped nevertheless.  
  
--I tried to do it on my own, before, and barely survived. I decided that I would need help in this endeavor, so I used my powers, to scan all the worlds for the greatest of heroes. The first I found on a planet called Corneria. He was the captain of a mercenary team known as Star Fox. Oddly enough, his name was Fox.-- At the mention of his name, Mewtwo produced a hologram to float in the void of Sonic's mind. --He is an expert marksman, a more than capable leader, and a pilot second to none. Only one even comes close to his abilities, the second hero, Captain Falcon.--  
  
A hologram of Falcon appeared.  
  
--He is a part-time bounty hunter, and a champion at high-speed racing, able to navigate a craft through numerous obstacles while maintaining an incredible velocity. He was not, technically, a hero at the time that I found him, but I could sense his potential, as well as his dormant powers.  
  
--They were the first. Both were relatively close to my prison, and both had ready access to space travel, so I did my best to let them know my location while I attempted to find others...  
  
--As it turned out, I nearly skipped over a hero on a nearby planet, namely Link.--  
  
Another hologram. You get the pattern.  
  
--Initially, I wondered how someone that well-known among his people could have been skipped over for a potential hero farther away, but I soon found that the planet was hidden quite well, even to me. Also, the isolation of that particular world cut it off from trade with other planets, and as a result was underdeveloped in its technology. Nonetheless, he was a warrior without equal in his field, swordsmanship.  
  
--Finally, my mind strayed back to Earth, my home. The choice of heroes was obvious.  
  
--As you are also wondering, Shadow is not dead. He survived by letting his own essence be drawn back into the Chaos Emeralds along with his newfound powers, where he was trapped for two years, and freed today.  
  
--Luckily, he retained some of the energy from the Emeralds, and was able to kill the Zeg'ran hive-brain in one shot.--  
  
"Wait a minute, three years!? How could anyone just sit there that long? I'd go insane!"  
  
--Perhaps. But contrary to your beliefs, Shadow is quite different from you. His unique past makes him much more determined, for instance.--  
  
  
  
"What *is* the deal with Shadow's past, anyway? He's never told us about it."  
  
--Nor would he desire me to.--  
  
Sonic paused, then asked, "What about your past? You've told me about everyone else."  
  
--I have told you everything you need to know. Will you aid us, or not?--  
  
"Count me in," said Sonic, smirking.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Shadow watched from a distance as Mewtwo tended to the unconscious Sonic, the others sitting near him as well. He closed his eyes, thinking over what Mewtwo had asked him. -A single race of beings, becoming a threat to the entire universe?- he thought. -It hardly seems likely. Still, there's no doubting the hostility of those creatures. But, is it a good idea to join them?- Shadow sighed, and opened his eyes. -Maria would want me to go. And so I shall.-  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
"How is he?" Amy asked after Mewtwo opened his eyes.  
  
--Only a minor coma. He's fine.-- With a wave of his hand, Mewtwo woke Sonic.  
  
"Sonikku! You're all right!" She cried, hugging him.  
  
"Ack! Get off!"  
  
Fox's eyes widened. "You woke him from a coma!?"  
  
--It was nothing. I could heal him if he was catatonic.--  
  
Shadow walked up. "Good to see you strong as ever, Sonic."  
  
"I take it you're coming, too?"  
  
"Of course. I have my reasons."  
  
"Aren't you going to ask him how he survived?" Amy asked.  
  
"Nah. I already found out."  
  
Amy went cockeyed at this. "But you just woke up!"  
  
"So?"  
  
"[groan] Never mind!" she said angrily. "Shadow can tell me himself."  
  
"I don't see why I should," the black hedgehog spoke, folding his arms. "It doesn't concern you at all."  
  
"You guys are so mean!" she exclaimed, furiously stomping off.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
"So their names are Sonic, Shadow, and Amy?" Falcon asked.  
  
"That's what Mewtwo told me," replied Fox, trying to ignore the look on Amy's face as she stormed away from the other hedgehogs and sat near him. "Oh, and one more thing. Since I just know you're going to ask me a stupid question, I'll answer it in advance. No, they're not related."  
  
"Hey, c'mon!" said Falcon with an annoyed look. "Cut me some slack! I know I've said a few embarrassing things recently, but I'm not retarded! *Anyone* could tell those two aren't related. They look nothing alike! Only a complete idiot would think they look anywhere near that similar."  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, Fox could see Amy blush, but he couldn't figure out why...  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Link took out a small stone from his pocket and sharpened his blade, as he had done many times before after battles. To tell the truth, it was entirely unnecessary, as the Master Sword could never be dulled, but Link was looking for something to do. He had already cleaned the blood off his weapons, noticing how it had strangely solidified and became caked on any surface.  
  
He marveled at the perfection of his sword, as though he were looking at it for the first time. He examined the precise straightness its length, the exact symmetry of the handle, and how such care was put into each engraving. The weight of the sword was also flawless, and it felt like a master smith designed it just for him...  
  
Link snapped out of his trance, afraid that others might be staring at him, wondering what the heck he was doing. But no, everyone was occupied with something else. The hedgehogs were arguing, and Falcon was talking with Fox... but where was Mewtwo? Link glanced around a bit, spotting him on top of a small building.  
  
-Looks like he could use someone to talk to,- the Hero of Time thought, zipping up to the top with his hookshot.  
  
"Something wrong?" he asked.  
  
--No,-- replied Mewtwo, without even turning around.  
  
"Then why are you up here?"  
  
--It's peaceful.--  
  
Both remained silent for a time, gazing into the evening sky. "Hmmm... why does this world have half a moon?" Link asked.  
  
Mewtwo sighed. --It would appear that more has happened in the time I was gone than I thought.--  
  
"Why don't you ask Sonic what happened?"  
  
--...It matters not. We should leave soon.--  
  
"Where are we headed now?"  
  
--To find a ship.--  
  
Link raised an eyebrow in confusion. "If we needed to cross an ocean, couldn't you just teleport us over it?"  
  
Mewtwo finally turned around to face the Hylian. --I meant a vessel capable of taking us from one planet to another. I am hesitant to simply teleport us onto a hostile world, as I would be the only way off it.--  
  
"Good point. Is that what you were up here thinking about?"  
  
--My intelligence is more than ten times that of an average being. It was not something I need to think about.--  
  
Link paused, wondering why anyone would act so cold and distant. "I suppose not," was all he said.  
  
Mewtwo turned away, signaling the end of the conversation. Link shrugged and lowered himself back down to the ground.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
"Good!" exclaimed Falcon. "Now that we're all introduced, we can get down to business." It was Fox's idea to call a meeting among the heroes, but Falcon had seemed to latch onto it as his own, leading the discussions. Fox didn't argue, though, as Falcon had also done all the work to build a fire and get a large bag of marshmallows.  
  
"Wait," Sonic interrupted. "Where's that elf guy?"  
  
"I'm back," said Link, taking a seat between Fox and Sonic.  
  
Fox turned toward the F-Zero champion. "Well, Falcon, tell us how you managed to forget about the guy from the planet we crashed on."  
  
"Well excuuuuuse me! It's not like he's been with us that long! Besides, I knew there should be five of us, since Mewtwo's being antisocial, and that's how many I got when I took a head count."  
  
"-But," said Shadow, "you forgot one of us here is uninvited."  
  
"I don't care!" Amy remarked. "I'm not going to be left behind this time."  
  
Sonic shook his head and muttered, "I'll never get rid of her." Only Link's ears caught it.  
  
"Never mind!" shouted Fox. "New topic: the rest of the introductions."  
  
"Amy Rose." "Sonic the Hedgehog." "Shadow the Hedgehog. No relation."  
  
"I'm Link."  
  
"Link what?" Amy asked out of curiosity.  
  
"I don't have a last name," Link replied. Awkward silence followed.  
  
"Anyone want some of these marshmallows?" asked Fox.  
  
Falcon gave Fox a confused look. "Marshmallows? Where'd you get those?"  
  
"I thought you brought them."  
  
"No..."  
  
"Then what have I been eating for the past fifteen minutes?"  
  
Falcon sniffed the bag and said, "Smells like mothballs to me."  
  
"I think I'm gonna be sick..."  
  
Falcon laughed out loud. "Gotcha! Ha ha! They are marshmallows!"  
  
Everyone started laughing now, except Fox, who was repeatedly hitting Falcon in the arm. Even Link was chuckling, though he'd never heard of marshmallows or mothballs.  
  
"How did you manage to find those anyway?" asked Shadow.  
  
"Oh, I got'em from a store over there."  
  
Fox raised an eyebrow. "You just happened to be carrying currency for a planet you've never even heard of before?"  
  
"Actually, I just took it. The door was unlocked and no one was there."  
  
"Why are we the only ones in this city?" Link asked.  
  
"Maybe they evacuated when reports came in of an unidentified object heading straight for them," suggested Falcon.  
  
"That's exactly what happened!" Amy confirmed. "But I didn't leave because Sonic didn't."  
  
"And why didn't you?" Shadow inquired.  
  
"Well, sound only travels so fast," Sonic replied with a smirk. "I never heard the announcement. But it would explain why there was so little traffic today..."  
  
"[cough]fullofit[cough]" Shadow coughed.  
  
"Shut up, faker!"  
  
"There's that word again," mused Shadow. "I fail to see why you use it. I have never tried to be like you, and I never will. Many have mistaken me for the likes of you, but that doesn't make me an impostor. I am my own hedgehog."  
  
"Are you kidding? Gerald *must* have designed you after me. You have all of my stunts." "Ridiculous! I was honing my skills long before you were even born!"  
  
--Enough of this!-- yelled Mewtwo, materializing over the fire. --Look at yourselves. The fate of galaxies hang in the balance, and you'd rather argue like children than discuss our next move.--  
  
"But standing on a rooftop and staring into space is infinitely more helpful?" asked Fox, standing up.  
  
"Just hear him out," said Link.  
  
--We need a ship to take us to different planets. It must have great speed, but we won't be able to refuel it much. It must also have top-of-the-line weapons systems, and a long-lasting food supply.--  
  
"Well, we won't have much luck here," said Sonic. "Earth has nothing like that."  
  
"True," Shadow agreed. "But we may find what we need on the ARK." 


	7. The Final Frontier

Chapter 7  
  
The Final Frontier  
  
Mewtwo watched as the others rose from their sleep. For all anyone knew, he'd been there the whole night. The others were beginning to wonder if he even needed sleep; or food for that matter.  
  
--Is everyone ready to depart?-- he asked.  
  
Falcon sat up, still a bit groggy. "Sheesh, already?"  
  
"Well, there's nothing to do here," Fox answered.  
  
"What about breakfast?" ventured Sonic.  
  
"It can wait," Link replied.  
  
Shadow nodded. "I agree. Now, let's go before-"  
  
Amy yawned and sat up.  
  
"Now, Mewtwo!" yelled the blue hedgehog. "GO!!"  
  
--Done.-- With a wave of his hand, the portal appeared.  
  
"Sonic, wait!"  
  
Sonic tried not to glance over his shoulder. "Just pretend you don't hear her," he said, stepping through.  
  
--------------------------------------------  
  
They reappeared in a large, empty room, with only a few minor consoles. It was circular, with one door and a window that spanned the entire length of the wall. The floor was also made out of glass, revealing a magnificent view of Earth.  
  
"What is this place?" asked Link, marveling at the technology around him.  
  
--The ARK,-- answered Mewtwo. --A... metal building floating above the planet, for lack of better terms.--  
  
"This is where Shadow was created," added Sonic.  
  
"Where is Shadow, anyway?" Falcon asked.  
  
All eyes turned to the black hedgehog at the back of the room, staring at the rows of pictures taped to the window. "What is this?" he asked.  
  
"The gang and I printed those out from the ARK's database as a sort of memorial for everyone who died here. Each of those people was working here when GUN shut this place down."  
  
Shadow's gaze wandered through the familiar faces of his past, including Maria's, though he still said nothing of her. Slowly, he reached up and took his own picture off the window, taking with it his Fire Ring on the sill. "I'm the only one left," he solemnly stated. Silence followed, as no one knew what to say to him.  
  
  
  
...  
  
  
  
::WHACK!:: Sonic crumpled to the floor.  
  
"What the hell!?" exclaimed Fox, spinning around.  
  
Shadow's eyes widened. "Amy?"  
  
Sure enough, there stood Amy, hammer in her hands. "Sonic! I *told* you not to leave me behind this time!"  
  
"Ow... how'd you get here? You'd have to be running almost as fast as me to have made it to the portal..."  
  
"I've practiced, Sonic! That's why I said I'm ready to go with you now!"  
  
Sonic sighed audibly. "Whatever, let's just go." With that, he got up and led the way out into the hall.  
  
"So, what exactly was this place?" ventured Fox, breaking the silence. "Some sort of research facility?"  
  
"Exactly," Shadow replied. "It's original intent was to provide leading scientists with nearly unlimited resources so they might better serve mankind. Unfortunately, the government heavily frowned upon some of their experiments, like me, and eventually the ARK project was ordered to be shut down. "Naturally, the scientists resisted, some even going so far as to build defense systems for when G.U.N. tried to shut them down by force. It wasn't enough. "Professor Gerald Robotnik, my creator, was the most affected by G.U.N.'s threats. No one can say for sure, but I believe he knew what was going to happen, and programmed the ships systems to carry on his work after he was gone. That is why the Eclipse Cannon and the Biolizard were never destroyed. They were made after G.U.N. left, and Gerald's diary found its way into his grandson's hands, which is how he knew his revenge would be served."  
  
"Wait--" interrupted Link.  
  
Fox sighed. "Relax, Link. I don't know what the heck they're talking about either."  
  
"It's not that, I hear something..."  
  
Fox stopped and listened straining his sensitive (though not as well- trained) ears. "Sounds like a mechanical whirring."  
  
Suddenly, thick steel doors slammed on either side of the group, trapping them in a small section of the hallway. An electronic voice could be heard, repeating "Intruder alert; vacuum exposure in fifteen seconds."  
  
"They're gonna shoot us into space!" yelled Falcon.  
  
Sonic's eyes widened. "Who is? This place is abandoned?"  
  
"I don't wanna die!" screamed Fox.  
  
Shadow stepped forward. "Voice code one-zero-one. Stop intruder program sequence."  
  
"Voice code confirmed for Project Shadow. Security systems shutting down." The doors opened again.  
  
Sonic let his breath out in a heavy sigh of relief. "You have security access?"  
  
"Of course," Shadow replied. "Everyone did. "The question is, who managed to get the systems back online?"  
  
--We're about to find out.--  
  
::thud... thud... Thud... Thud.. THUD... THUD...::  
  
"This can't be good," muttered Falcon.  
  
A large blue robot rounded the corner and stood over our heroes. "I don't know who you guys are, or how you shut off the security systems, but you'll never make it past me!"  
  
Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Tails? Is that you?"  
  
An orange face leaned out the mech's cockpit and looked down at the blue hedgehog. "Sonic?"  
  
"What are you doing here, Tails?"  
  
Tails jumped lightly down. He looked quite different from what Sonic remembered, not to mention his voice had changed slightly. Tails was just as tall as he was now, with a look to match his teenage self. He wore a dark brown bomber jacket, with dark shades resting on his forehead. The blue blur's lifelong friend smiled as he said, "C'mon, Sonic. You know me! What better place could there be for an inventor like me? After our last adventure, I decided to follow my heart and practice making things. Eventually, I modified the Cyclone for space travel and came here."  
  
"I guess I was so wrapped up in my fame and glory after Gerald's scheme I never really talked to you much..."  
  
Tails patted him on the back. "It's all right. I got so wrapped up in my inventions I didn't even bother to tell you I was leaving. Now, what brings you here?"  
  
Shadow glided out from the rest of the crowd. "It's a long story, Tails, and we don't have much time to tell you."  
  
The teenage fox's eyes grew round as dinner plates. "Shadow!? You're alive! How...?"  
  
Shadow sighed loudly. "What did I *just* say?"  
  
Now, Amy walked up. "C'mon! He deserves to know!"  
  
"Would you *please* be quiet."  
  
Sonic decided it was better to interrupt than to let that exchange continue. "To make a long story short, Tails, I'm teaming up with these guys to take care of some aliens."  
  
"Aliens?"  
  
--Yes. And we need a ship.--  
  
At this, the kitsune put a hand to his chin in thought. "Come with me. I think I've got just the thing!"  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Elfshire: Does your brain hurt? Are you unable to get that mental picture of what Tails looks like now? Or do you just want to see my artwork and praise me? In either case, go to:  
  
http://sonicpotatosalad.freeservers.com/cgi-bin/i/oldernow.jpg (just copy and paste, fool!)  
  
to see the very first (and perhaps the last) illustration for Smash Force. Yes, that's my artwork. Yes, it's probably crap in your opinion. But at least look at it.  
  
Now, back to my (insert positive adjective here) fanfiction. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  
  
The group stepped into a very large room. "Behold!" said Tails, throwing his hands up dramatically. "It's my greatest invention yet! Though it doesn't have a name..."  
  
Everyone's gaze traveled upward at the sight of a large, gray spacecraft. The cockpit had four sides coming to a point, with the window spanning two of them. The ship's rear had four small, jagged arcs extending out from the main thrusters,  
  
Tails looked on with pride. "Pure titanium battle armor, maximum shield generators, hyperspace capability, and first-class living space. A masterpiece, if I do say so myself. Only..."  
  
"Only what?" asked Sonic.  
  
"It's a bit over-complex... For one thing, it needs a crew of at least six--  
  
"We got that," said Falcon.  
  
"Yeah, but how about a master pilot?"  
  
Fox raised his hand. "Present!"  
  
Tails raised an eyebrow. "Um... It has an extremely complicated computer core which would require someone with five arms and an IQ of 250 to operate...  
  
--Done.--  
  
By this point, the teenage inventor was almost struck speechless. "Uh... a... chaos emerald for the power core?"  
  
Amy pulled out the silver emerald. "We can use mine!" she chirped.  
  
Tails' mouth gaped open and his sunglasses fell on the floor.  
  
Shadow turned to Mewtwo. "You planned out all of this, didn't you?"  
  
--Most of it, yes.-- said the psychic, with a smirk.  
  
"What about weapons?" Sonic asked. "Hellooo? Tails?"  
  
Tails shook his head to clear it after Sonic snapped his fingers. "Oh, uh, yeah. Well, there isn't much in variety... the ARK wasn't known for making ship-weapons..."  
  
"...But?"  
  
"But it *does* have twenty different missle pods like the one on the Cyclone, and the main guns on the wings I designed after the pulse cannons the Biolizard left behind."  
  
"YES!"  
  
"Well, that's all."  
  
Mewtwo nodded. --It is more than I hoped for. I would, however, like to speak with you about the food capacity of the ship. We wouldn't want to run out."  
  
"Of course." The two walked off.  
  
Shadow considered something a moment, then turned to Sonic. "Come with me," he said.  
  
Sonic did as he was told, running down a few corridors to a room that resembled an obstacle course.  
  
"This is where the Professor tested my skills; where I learned to skate and fight."  
  
"But why'd you bring me here?"  
  
"This quest we're starting on seems far more important than our last endeavor, so I wanted to apologize for what I've done in the past. I was a different person then, with different motives."  
  
"You don't need to apologize, Shadow. You made up for yourself by destroying the Biolizard, and helping to save the world in its darkest hour. Everyone on Earth looks to you as a hero, not a villian."  
  
"And what do you believe?"  
  
"I agree. Why else would Mewtwo have you come along?"  
  
Shadow remained silent a moment, then shook Sonic's hand.  
  
The blue hedgehog's gaze traveled to one of the walls. "Hey, what's with the jumpsuits?"  
  
"They were used to monitor my vital signs during practice, as well as miles per hour. It helped Gerald monitor my progress."  
  
"Okay... but why are there two?"  
  
"I told Gerald I wouldn't be caught dead in the orange one. He was so glad I showed signs of my own personality he didn't even mind making a second one."  
  
Suddenly, Amy stepped through the doorway. "Cool, but do they come in pink?"  
  
Sonic winced, then turned towards her. "That settles it, Amy. You're NOT coming. I've made up my mind."  
  
"No fair, Sonic! You guys always leave me behind!"  
  
"You're not ready, okay?"  
  
"You just say that because you don't like me!"  
  
"If that was it, I'd have Tails come with!"  
  
Oddly enough, Tails walked into the room at that moment. "What? I'm not going?"  
  
Amy crossed her arms. "You act like we're still kids, Sonic."  
  
"Yeah, we're older now!" said Tails.  
  
"Why should you have all the fun?"  
  
At this, something inside Shadow seemed to snap as face showed a sudden anger. "FUN!?" he yelled into Amy's face. "You think this is fun? How about back on Earth when you just stood there and watched the six of us fight? Or when you cowered in the rubble after the Zeg'ra chased you? Was that fun?!"  
  
"Cool it, Shadow!" cried Sonic, pulling him away. "The bottom line is, guys, Shadow and I are the strongest, and we can only take so many on the ship. Besides, if the Zeg'ra come back for Earth, it's up to you guys to stop it."  
  
Tails hesitated, then nodded, saying, "You can count on me, Sonic. I won't let you down."  
  
"Thanks, Tails."  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Link had been wandering around the ARK for a good while now. He'd gotten bored just waiting for the others, so he decided to take a walk. The place was, after all, quite breathtaking to him. Suddenly, he stopped. "Okay, I'm lost," he admitted. He spotted Sonic and Shadow ahead of him, and tried to catch up as they turned down an adjoining corridor, but stopped upon hearing Amy's voice from the doorway the two hedgehogs left from...  
  
----------------------------------------  
  
"All systems go!" yelled the master pilot. "Mewtwo, call the others so we can get out of here!"  
  
--Everyone board the ship. We have no time to waste.--  
  
The others quickly came aboard, and after buckling in, Falcon said, "What's this ship called, anyway?"  
  
--Tails didn't come up with a name for it yet,-- the pokemon replied.  
  
"How about the Silver Arrow?" suggested Link.  
  
Fox smirked. "Silver Arrow it is. Now let's go!!"  
  
::WHOOSH:: 


	8. Consulting the Book of Armaments

Chapter 8: Consulting the Book of Armaments  
  
Another soundless explosion flared in the darkness, lighting the void of space with an orange-red brilliance for only an instant, then subsiding; debris bouncing off titanium plating as the only sign of its occurrence.  
  
Fox depressed one of the many buttons on the console before him. "Good shot, guys," he complimented. "Which one of you did that?"  
  
"Me," said Falcon's voice.  
  
The assigning of posts on the Silver Arrow had been rather easy. Fox was given the pilot's seat, due to his abilities, and Mewtwo was given the computer core for the same reason. The other four had no choice but to man the gun turrets, though only Falcon had any experience with operating them.  
  
"I should have guessed," muttered Fox. "Why don't you let the others try to hit some, rather than destroying them all yourself?"  
  
"What was I *supposed* to do? Let the rocks hit us? If you'd just stop the ship, the others could hit some stationary targets, and we wouldn't have to worry about collisions!"  
  
Fox sighed. "We've been over this before, 'Captain,'" - Fox used this term mockingly, as both of them knew he had been unanimously rejected any position of leadership by the other five heroes - "Mewtwo says we need to make as much progress as possible, and that means no stopping. The ship _does_ have armor, so just cease fire and let the others try for a little while, okay?"  
  
"Fine, fine."  
  
Apart from the mild asteroids, the trip had been uneventful. Mewtwo gave the course, and Fox followed it. The Cornerian wondered about the challenge that surely lay ahead of them, but really didn't know what to expect. He only knew that Mewtwo could sense the general direction of the Zeg'ra by their psionic presence, and that it was exceptionally strong.  
  
After another few minutes of blasting space rocks, Mewtwo passed the order to stop firing completely, as they would need to let the ship's Emerald recharge a bit before leaving the asteroid field.  
  
"Hope everyone's buckled in," Fox announced over the comm system. "Wouldn't want anyone splattered all over one of the back walls."  
  
Sonic's nervous gulp could be plainly heard before he replied. "Are you SERIOUS!?"  
  
"3... 2... 1... Hyperspace!"  
  
Briefly the outside of the ship cackled with white lightning before winking out of sight, traveling so fast it didn't even look like a blur. Coming out of the jump, Fox spotted a dull brown planet in the distance.  
  
--Hmm... Land there,-- Mewtwo instructed.  
  
"I thought we were hurrying-"  
  
--Just do it!--  
  
Wordlessly, Fox complied, and he began the landing procedure within minutes.  
  
----------------------------------------------------  
  
Shadow looked out upon the planet's surface as he slid down the rope to join the others. They had landed on the outskirts of what looked to be a once great, but now ruined city, surrounded by barren wasteland. "Care to enlighten me as to why we're here again?" he asked.  
  
--I sense something unusual. It feels as if this planet was swarming with intelligent thought maybe a day or so earlier... but now its devoid of every scrap of life.--  
  
Link gritted his teeth, and clenched his fist. "The Zeg'ra did this."  
  
"How could they have possibly wiped out all life on the planet?" asked Falcon.  
  
--I'm not sure. The race that inhabited this place was obviously very advanced technologically, so in their quest for natural resources they may have actually been the cause of these lifeless deserts.--  
  
Falcon put a hand up to his chin. "If this planet got attacked by the Zeg'ra, they might have some records or something from the battle we could look at."  
  
"Did Falcon just have a good idea??" asked Fox, mocking a heart attack.  
  
"Hey, shut up!"  
  
While the two spacefarers bickered once more, Link and Mewtwo headed into the city. Walking along one of the suspended highways there, Link observed the same type of devastation from back on Earth. Walls smashed in, roads wrecked, and debris everywhere.  
  
Sonic ran up. "Hey, anyone else notice there's no vehicles or anything in the streets?"  
  
--Perhaps this city was evacuated, like yours.--  
  
"I guess. But even then there were still a *few* left behind..."  
  
"And where would they go?" asked Link. "There's no roads leading out of the city, just... land."  
  
--Point taken. It just doesn't add up.--  
  
"Whoah!"  
  
"Falcon?" Sonic called. "Is that you?"  
  
"Down here!"  
  
The three stepped to the edge of the suspended path they'd been walking on, and sucked in their breath when they beheld the sight below. Millions of crumpled piles of scrap metal lay strewn about in heaps, like so many bodies on a battlefield. Each one beared a horrific resemblence (yet still obviously artificial) to a spider flipped on it's back; its legs curled around itself in death.  
  
--Now I see...-- said the awed psychic.  
  
"What? What is it?" questioned the Hylian.  
  
--The city.. it must have been run entirely by a race of machines!--  
  
"Is that even possible?" asked Sonic.  
  
"Think about it," answered Shadow, appearing on a ledge above. "Androids wouldn't desire to expand their civilization, nor would they need vehicles to get around."  
  
Falcon came up to the path of the others, followed shortly by Fox, who said, "You're telling me that the Zeg'ra wiped out a city full of self- consious robots, who, by the look of those things down there, probably had a large part of their programming devoted to warfare?"  
  
Mewtwo only nodded.  
  
"Well, at least there's one good thing about all this," continued Fox, "It's likely that for all these robots to be working in such harmony, there must be a central unit of some sort controlling them. If we find that, maybe we'll find whatever info these things collected on the Zeg'ra."  
  
"Worth a shot," Sonic commented. "C'mon, the city center's just ahead. Let's look there!" And with that, the six warriors ran the short distance down the suspended highway and entered the city's large central building.  
  
A few busted doors and navigated hallways later, the heroes found what they were looking for. Three huge spider-bots stood like statues in the dark room, unmarred by battle scars, yet devoid of life.  
  
"This must be the central unit," Link concluded.  
  
"Yeah," agreed Fox. "Now how do we crack 'em open?"  
  
--They're not designed to have their files accessed by anything other than themselves. We can't just plug it into a computer and do a search. I'll have to psychically read the electrical impulses left in its memory and see if I can decipher them.-- The poke'mon then closed his eyes and began to probe the robot's artificial brain, while the others anxiously waited.  
  
Sonic turned to his ex-rival. "Do you think those machines know anything more about the Zeg'ra than we do?"  
  
"I'm not sure," the black hedgehog replied. "I suppose it's possible."  
  
"It kinda depends on how long the fight lasted," Link mused.  
  
Fox noticed Mewtwo open his eyes again. "Well? Did you get anything?"  
  
The psychic took a deep breath, sorting out the complex sequences of data that would have overwhelmed most minds into familiar words. --These androids were called the Kanaa, and were, for reasons unknown, bent on wiping out all sentient life.--  
  
Shadow's brow furrowed in thought. "It's like some sort of sadistic fad..."  
  
--Their strategy was to send small spy robots, Kanaka, to different planets, who would gather information on the planet's weaknesses and strengths. Now that their base of operations is destroyed, however, they no longer possess any threat.--  
  
"That's a relief," stated Falcon. "What else did you find?"  
  
--The Zeg'ra struck here not too long ago, and in a different form. These spiders were attacked by one-celled organisms that got inside them and drained their power supply.--  
  
Fox gasped as he suddenly figured it out. "They're evolving!"  
  
--Exactly. It seems every time we've met them, they've appeared in a stronger form. At first, the Kanaa planned to simply salvage what they could and move to another planet, but then they too realized that the Zeg'ra would come after them. So, they took the strongest of weapons from each of the worlds, built one of their own, and improved it, hoping they would be strong enought to defeat the Zeg'ra once they evolved into a large enough form to hit. --The weapons were completed, but the escape was cut short when it too became drained. Apparently, some of the organisms avoided detection in one of the Kanak units, or workers, and spread to the shuttles being built.--  
  
"Weapons?!" Link asked, in disbelief.  
  
Shadow smirked. "This could give us just the edge we need..."  
  
--Accessing project Stop Menace And Save Headquarters...--  
  
Falcon frowned. "They gave a project a name like that? It's so lame..."  
  
Fox glanced at him. "They're robots. They have no imagination, and no creativity."  
  
"Obviously. I mean, 'Stop Menace And Save HQ?' That's just terrible!"  
  
"It doesn't matter-" Shadow started.  
  
"I mean, if you're gonna come up with a stupid title like that, you should at least make it into a set of initials!"  
  
Fox was getting annoyed. "How the heck does initializing a phrase make it cooler?"  
  
"Just try it. C'mon, there's no way that 'Stop Menace And Save Headquarters' is as cool as SMASH."  
  
Shadow crossed his arms and sighed. -Idiot,- he thought.  
  
A huge door at the back of the room could be heard unlocking several times, then opening. "Bingo!" yelled Sonic, rushing through it.  
  
Mewtwo sighed. --Yes, go right ahead. Don't bother to take such precautions as say, checking for dormant security systems.--  
  
A row of black cases sat before the warriors, unlabled and unmarked. There weren't near enough for an army, so they must have been the weapon prototypes.  
  
"Woah, these things are heavy!" exclaimed the F-Zero champ. "We'll have to make more than one trip to-" A rumbling in the earth caused him to stop. "What the...?"  
  
"Earthquake!" Link cried. "We must get back to the ship!" The tremor repeated, and this time it didn't stop, confirming the Hylian's fears.  
  
Sonic's eyes widened in a panic. "Grab a crate and go!"  
  
--Sonic, forget about the crates, I'll grab one for you, just get to the ship and start it up for us!--  
  
"Got it!"  
  
Everyone hurriedly snatched up the nearest container and made a beeline for the ship. Most of the buildings rained debris while they ran, but at least they held up enough so as not to bring walls down upon the six of them. Then the chasms started opening in the earth beneath them, and everything got worse. The very soil they stood on seemed like water as it slid away, sucked into huge rifts resembling gaping maws of utter doom.  
  
Somehow, though, they all made it back to the Silver Arrow, taking off before even having a chance to tie down their new cargo. From orbit, they watched the as the planet crumbled into chunks and dust, like hardened clay under a sledgehammer.  
  
"The whole planet..." Falcon gasped. "Gone..."  
  
Even Mewtwo's usual solid expression broke into a look of astonishment in light of what had just happened. --It doesn't make sense... How could it be?--  
  
"Dear Lord," Fox breathed, "the Zeg'ra did this."  
  
Shadow looked his normal, skeptical self. "How can you be so sure?"  
  
"Something like that would have had a much worse effect on the planet. We would have seen magma spilling out of the rifts back there. Maybe the planet would have even exploded... but it just broke like an empty shell. The Kanaa weren't responsible for the wastelands we saw, it was the Zeg'ra! It's like they sucked the planet dry, stealing the energy for themselves." His expression darkened. "To evolve again."  
  
--It appears I've vastly underestimated our foes. They're even more powerful than I feared.--  
  
"Well," sighed Sonic, "let's just hope that whatever's in those crates can help us out."  
  
"Of course they will!" cried Falcon. "... They have to."  
  
Mewtwo smirked. --Bring them here.--  
  
----------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Is it the Festival of Life already?" asked Link, as Fox handed him a crate.  
  
Shadow looked up from his box. "A holiday from your world I assume?"  
  
Link nodded. "It's a day where we celebrate the anniversary of Hyrule's creation and honor the goddesses by showing our loved ones how much we care."  
  
"Which you do by showering each other in gifts?" Shadow asked, getting another nod of approval.  
  
"Sounds like Christmas," Sonic commented.  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Let's just open them!" exclaimed Falcon.  
  
"Alright, just calm down," said Fox. "Just remember: opening it doesn't mean you get it. We'll distribute the weapons afterward according to skill. Falcon, you first."  
  
Eagerly, the racer undid the latches on the case and slid the small bolts out of place. Slowly, he lifted the lid, his eyes wide with anticipation for the prize he knew lay within--  
  
"WHAT THE HELL!? This isn't a weapon of mass destruction!" he yelled, holding it up for emphasis. "It's a frickin' bouncy ball!!"  
  
--Wait!-- said the psychic. --That's a pokeball!--  
  
"A WHAT!?" yelled everyone else in unison.  
  
--It's used for storing powerful creatures in data form. But, I've never seen a platinum-colored ball before...-- To Mewtwo, it looked (or maybe *felt,* he wasn't sure) like something beyond any pokeball he'd see before, even the legendary Master Ball. --I'll examine it more closely later,-- he said.  
  
Fox sighed. "Whatever. Uh, Shadow, you go."  
  
Shadow opened the box with a neutral expression, not savoring the suspense at all. "I can already see how invaluable _this_ will be," he remarked, holding a baseball bat in one hand and sarcasm in the other.  
  
"A baseball bat!?" Sonic cried. "What were those robots thinking??"  
  
Fox sighed again, heavier this time. "This isn't going the way I hoped," he said. "Someone else open one."  
  
Link obliged, revealing what looked like a small black cylinder, except it had two small extensions on the end, and contours that seemed all too familiar to the Hero of Time.  
  
--And what might this be?-- Mewtwo inquired.  
  
"Well, it looks like a sword hilt, but" ::click:: All at once, a solid ray of crimson energy shot forth from the device, singing a bit of blonde hair as the Hylian jerked his head away in the nick of time. Then the beam halted, the energy shaping itself into a formidable blade.  
  
Shadow blinked, his mouth agape. "Well, that's encouraging."  
  
"I hope mine has something that good!" Sonic wished, opening his crate as he spoke. "Yes!" he shouted, triumphantly holding up a potent-looking firearm. "A laser gun!"  
  
"Our luck's changing," Fox remarked with a wide grin. "Go ahead, Mewtwo."  
  
Link's eyes lit up as he beheld Mewtwo remove the treasure from the box, recognizing it instantly, for he was always collecting them wherever he went, and he considered them more valuable than any amount of rupees could describe. "A Heart Container!"  
  
--You know what this is?--  
  
"Good," added Shadow. "I was starting to think Mewtwo opened a box of Valentine's day decorations."  
  
"Well, you can tell us about it after we see what's in-" Fox quickly opened the last crate, "-here." The Cornerian pilot weakly held up a pathetic- looking magic wand that seemed to have come straight out of a Candyland game. He tossed it aside. "That's depressing. Well, let's split these up..."  
  
Shadow gathered up the weapons and laid them across the floor while the others bickered over who got what. Sonic looked on at them thoughtfully. "Hm. I could take that pokeyball, or whatever it's called that Mewtwo mentioned."  
  
--You don't even know how to pronounce it, let alone use it.-- The pokemon calmly stated.  
  
"Right, so you should have it," suggested Fox. "As for me, I'm probably best off with the gun."  
  
Falcon stood up and crossed his arms. "Hey, I happen to be a bounty hunter. Marksmanship is practically my trade!"  
  
"Actually, Falcon," Link began, "Fox seems much more dependent on his gun to fight. You have your powers to fight with, so the gun is better off with Fox."  
  
Falcon grumbled, but didn't protest.  
  
"Well, it's pretty obvious who should get the sword," Shadow commented.  
  
"But I've never fought with two swords before..."  
  
"Then put the metal one away, and take the energy sword, which is obviously more powerful. I don't know why we bother to drag around someone with such primitive weaponry, anyway."  
  
Angrily, Link pulled his blade. "Is that all you take me for?" he asked. "This is no simple blade! This is the Master Sword!" As if to emphasize this fact, the sword started glowing with a purple-white radiance. "It was forged by the goddesses themselves to turn back the tides of darkness in our most hopeless hours. It is the sword of evil's bane, and you can bet it's more powerful than any weapon here." Finished, Link sat down and sheathed the blade. Silence followed.  
  
"Fine, then. I'll take the Beamsword," said Shadow, regaining his composure.  
  
Sonic's eyes widened. "What!?"  
  
"I'm taking the Beamsword. After all, if Link won't take it, it really doesn't matter who has it, since we're all equally inexperienced."  
  
"Instead," said Link, "I'll take the Heart Container."  
  
"Dibsonthebat!" yelled Sonic.  
  
"CRAP!" shouted the unhappy Captain. "I'm stuck with the f****** pixie stick!"  
  
DISCLAIMER: The Kanaa aren't mine, they're owned by Japs, a kickass author if I ever saw one. 


	9. A Helping Hand

Chapter 9: A Helping Hand  
  
- | |\| + r 00 |) [- r $.... -  
  
Mewtwo closely examined the ship's sensors and compared them to the energy signals he could detect with his mind. -- It's only a matter of time, now, -- he said.  
  
"Until what?" Shadow questioned. "You haven't even told us your plan of attack!"  
  
-- The forces of the Zeg'ra work as a hierarchy. At the bottom are their common warriors, who we continue to face. They get their orders from nearby hive-minds, like the one Shadow destroyed back on Earth. In turn, these are controlled by special generals who answer only to the Lord of the Zeg'ra. --  
  
"So we have to take out one general at a time?" Sonic assumed. "Gaining experience along the way, facing progressively harder foes and increasing our prowess as a team?"  
  
There was a short moment of silence, then everyone else burst out laughing.  
  
"Oh, man, someone's been playing too many video games!" Falcon choked out between guffaws.  
  
Mewtwo chuckled. -- Actually, we're just going straight to the source, though it's quite possible there will be one or more of the generals to stand in our way. Most of them should be out conquering planets, though. --  
  
"Right..." sighed the blue hedgehog.  
  
Shadow smiled to himself. "One at a time... I can't tell if it's funny or just plain pathetic."  
  
::BUZZ::  
  
"Code Red!" called Fox over the comm. "Enemy fighters dead ahead! Battle stations!"  
  
"Relax," Link replied. "We're already IN battle stations, because you wouldn't let us ride anywhere else. Do you have any idea how uncomfortable the seats in these turrets are?"  
  
"Well, it's about to become worth it. All cannons: Laser sweep!"  
  
Responding to one of the maneuvers they'd been taught by Fox in their free time, Sonic, Shadow, Falcon, and Link fired so that all the beams were parallel, then swept them across the ranks of the Zeg'ra, cutting their numbers by at least three-fourths.  
  
"Fire at will!" ordered Fox.  
  
Each of the Silver Arrow's plasma beams streaked though the swarm's remaining units, reducing the few stragglers to mere ions.  
  
"Wait, that's it?" asked Sonic.  
  
Link frowned. "Maybe it was just a scouting party."  
  
-- No, look! --  
  
Thousands of flying Zeg'ra descended from above the Arrow's position, forming an attack formation.  
  
"Missile salvo 1!" Fox announced, launching the first set of the Arrow's currently prepared missiles. Almost as if it were planned, the entire force scattered, leaving the heavy barrage to do little damage.  
  
"Missile salvos 2, 3, and 4! Engage the enemy!" As the last of the Arrow's prepared missiles flew off, Link, Falcon, Shadow, & Sonic opened fire with the four laser turrets, though the way the Zeg'ra maneuvered around their attacks was almost taunting. Fox cursed under his breath. "These evolved bastards caught us off guard!"  
  
--It appears they've grown more intelligent.--  
  
"Mewtwo, secondary shields up!"  
  
--Activating repulsor field.-- Suddenly, it was as if enemies that got too close to the ship were flying in slow motion, since the field was pushing them away.  
  
"Easy pickings!" boasted Falcon.  
  
Though the lasers were now severely diminishing the swarm's numbers, it was too little too late. The Zeg'ra kept advancing toward the ship's hull.  
  
"There's too many!" Fox cried. "Activate primary shields!"  
  
--Activating Chaos Forcefield.-- Arcs of pure energy surged over the ship, frying any Zeg'ra that got close. Eventually, the creatures caught a clue and waited outside the field. --We're low on power, we need to let the Emerald recharge.--  
  
"If we turn off the forcefield, those things will breach the hull, and we'll be toast!"  
  
"Then what do we do!?" Sonic said, panic in his voice. "If we can't fire through the field, what can we do besides wait to die!?"  
  
"Need a hand?" crackled the comm device.  
  
Fox raised an eyebrow. "Who is this?"  
  
"This is Samus Aran, bounty hunter." Our heroes watched the viewscreen as a roundish orange spacecraft came into view, expertly firing lasers to dust off the last of the Zeg'ra like the pests they were.  
  
--Thank you, Miss Aran, we are in your debt.--  
  
"Well, I could use some supplies... mind if I come aboard?"  
  
Fox set to work on the console. "Docking sequence initiated."  
  
-------------------------  
  
"So," said Falcon to their mysterious armored ally joining them in the lounge of the Silver Arrow, "what's a bounty hunter like you doing all the way out here? Hunting isn't a full-time thing for me, but I've heard the prospects are pretty dry in these parts. All the planets around here are peaceful, so nobody's paying to kill people off."  
  
Samus smiled behind her visor and chuckled. "Did you miss those things tearing apart your ship? All these peaceful planets don't have the means to defend themselves, so they're paying big money to any mercenaries they can get their hands on."  
  
Fox's eyes widened. "Wait, you mean we could be getting paid for this?"  
  
"All right!" cheered Falcon.  
  
--We're heading to stop this problem at the source. Care to join us?--  
  
"Thanks, but I work alone."  
  
--I see.--  
  
Shadow reclined in his chair, putting his feet up on a table. "Well, don't let us keep you, then," he said.  
  
Samus nodded. "Well, thanks for the fuel. Perhaps we'll meet up again, someday."  
  
Falcon waved as she turned to leave. "Be careful out there."  
  
----------------  
  
From the bridge, Link watched as the round ship departed. "Looks like Mewtwo was right, it *is* just the six of us." The Hero of Time looked quietly out into space, and again his thoughts drifted to Hyrule.   
  
"You okay, Link?"  
  
"Yeah, just thinking."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"Home."  
  
Sonic joined the Hylian by the window. "It must be rough, being called to fight in a world you nothing about."  
  
Link thought back to his days in Termina, where he'd lost count of all the people who eerily resembled someone he'd seen before. "Oh, I'm used to being in strange places by now." Both of them stared into space (literally) for a while. "What are you thinking about right now, Sonic?"  
  
The hedgehog glanced over at Link, who kept his gaze on the stars, an emotionless expression on his face. "Not much I guess, just looking."  
  
"Don't you have someone. waiting for you?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Someone you're fighting for."  
  
"Well, there's my friends, Tails and Knuckles--"  
  
"What about Amy?"  
  
"What *about* Amy?"  
  
Link said nothing.  
  
Sonic chuckled. "I see. There's someone back home you miss more than you thought you would."  
  
"Yeah. Just wondering if it was the same with you."  
  
Sonic didn't smirk as he walked out. "I fight for myself." 


	10. Melancholy

Peace reigned for a time as the Silver Arrow continued its silent sojourn through the cold reaches of space. Shadow gazed out the window of the common room, twirling a black sword hilt around in a gloved hand. Half of him looked at the unfamiliar constellations, the other half stared into the faint reflection of his crimson eyes, but all of him thought back to his days on the ARK.  
  
Maria's soft blue eyes shined on him in his memories. "How ironic that I strive to give others a chance to be happy, for I feel I shall never know such a feeling again..." His thumb strayed to a button, and his countenance basked in the sudden crimson glow of the alien beamsword. "And yet I continue, perhaps out of foolhardiness..."  
  
--You're too hard on yourself.-- spoke a familiar voice in his mind.  
  
Shadow didn't bother turning around, though how he knew Mewtwo was speaking to him from elsewhere was anyone's guess. "Am I? I was built for power, created out of hate. I am a weapon, not a thing to be loved. This is my only purpose, and no reward awaits me. The only hands extended to me are moved by pity."  
  
--All save one. Be thankful it was there.--  
  
------------------------------  
  
The PA system crackled to life.  
  
"This is your Captain speaking-" "Falcon, gimme that!" "-be arriving at our destination shortly, please gather your belongings," "I'm gonna count to three!" "-in the forward upright position and form an orderly line to the—" "Onetwothree!" [THUD]  
  
...  
  
"[ahem] Sorry 'bout that, guys. Seriously though, this is Fox, and we are approaching the Zeg'ra homeworld. Get to your stations."  
  
------------------------------  
  
Link clenched his fingers on the turret controls, but all went smoothly as the craft landed on the surface of the desolate red planet. "It's like they're inviting us in," he mused.  
  
Elfshire here, yeah, it's really short, and it's been nearly a year since the last update, but hey! You have two choices: Quit griping. Send me money. Leave more of a review than "coll, keep goin"  
  
Personally, I'd like option two, but anyone who does options one and three is okay in my book. 


	11. Arrival

Falcon had the honor of stepping down to the planet first. A smug grin sat on his lips, as he now knew just how much his teamates admired him. How blind they must be, he thought, to only realize his value when stepping into the worst of things. Confidently, he strode down the Arrow's boarding stairs, resting the star rod in his right hand on his shoulder. He even looked the part of the leader – after all, he was the best dressed. And after spending his alloted training time spray-painting the damned weapon black instead, he had no fear of it embarrassing him.

"Nothing to worry about, guys," he reassured them, without stopping or turning around. "Any Zeg'ra that come our way is probably toast before you guys even get the chance to lift a finger!"

--Just endure his ego for now,-- Mewtwo advised to the others in secret. --It's a small price to pay for such a reliable... what's a good word? Meat shield.--

Link had doubts about the ethics behind this decision. After all, even Falcon was a useful member of the team right? Still, the topic had already been discussed among him and the other four heroes, and he had agreed, provided that he was second in line to heal the poor bastard.

Fox glared at the scanner in his hand from his position at fourth in the line. "Infrared's picking up massive heat signatures to the northeast. About a mile."

Sonic stopped to stretch his legs. "Is that all? I could be there in less than thirty seconds!"

--And isolate yourself from the safety of the group? If you were to be ambushed, we'd have no way to help you.--

"I'll go with him," announced Shadow. "A scout party would give us a tactical advantage. The two of us can watch each other's backs, and if things get too difficult, we should easily be able to outrun anything the Zeg'ras could have gaurding their home."

--Too risky.--

Link scratched his head. "Why not? It makes a lot of sense, I don't-"

Mewtwo stopped. --Perhaps you haven't been paying attention. The Zeg'ra have become stronger every time we've met. If they can adapt to the vacuum of space, then there's no telling what limits they have. Maybe they've evolved camoflaged organisms to take the two of you by surprise, or quadrupeds that can easily match your speeds. We don't know. We can't afford to take risks.--

At this, the Hylian folded his arms. "If this whole excursion can't be called risky, then there is no word to describe it. Risks happen. Truth be told, it might be riskier not to send scouts. If we play it safe every moment, our enemies will be able to guess exactly what we're doing."

Sonic smirked. "I like the way you think, Link. Like the elf said, Mewtwo, have some faith in your teammates! We might just surprise you."

Mewtwo stood (floated?) silent for a long time, his eyes closed as he considered it. --Be careful.--

"Long as Shadow keeps up!"

"Wait up, you fool!"

--------------

The bleak landscaped blurred past as the duo raced to Fox's coordinates. From afar, they might have looked like a small dust storm, kicking up huge clouds of the stuff as they ran. Each of them were going already faster than most any other life form could, and they hadn't nearly reached max speed.

"I never got the chance to ask you," the blue hedgehog began, his voice raised against the roar of the air their bodies cut through. "Why did you decide to come with us?"

Shadow didn't turn his head. "I made a promise to someone."

"Who?"

The black-quilled one now looked Sonic dead in the eyes. "What about you? Is this just another chance to stretch your legs?"

"What?"

"This is more than another of Eggman's ridiculous plots. This is a plague that will extinguish all life if left unchecked. If you don't devote your entire being to victory, you will fail."

Sonic narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"I mean that this task will challenge you like nothing on Earth ever has. If you treat the Zeg'ra like you do Eggman, you won't put forth your true skill."

"I don't plan on losing to these slimeballs!"

Shadow looked away again. "In time, you'll see my meaning, Sonic. Until then, don't die."

With that, the two skidded to a stop. They stood upon a cliff, overlooking a great cave matching the coordinates. The Zeg'ra main nest was somewhere deep inside, along with the chance to save everything, or perish in the attempt.


End file.
